Read the Bible in a Year

Each day, we'll post passages so that you can read the Bible in one year. This is part of The Colossians 13:16 Project, sponsored by Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia. You're invited to worship with us Sundays, at 11:00 a.m. or Saturdays, at 6:30 p.m. You may also want to consider joining one our adult Bible Studies: Thursdays at 12:00 noon and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. We also have a full range of programs for children. If you want more information about the church, check out the other blogs. And please feel free to leave any comments.

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Thursday, December 29, 2016

Bible Readings for December 29, 2016

Today, our passages are Zechariah 14:1-21; Revelation 20:1-15; Psalm 148:1-14; and
Proverbs 31:8-9. The readings
are from The
Message by Eugene H.
Peterson. If you find these
readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove
Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through
PayPal by using the link below.

Zechariah 14:1-21 (The
Message)

Zechariah 14

The Day Is Coming

1-2 Note well:
God's Judgment Day is on the way: "Plunder will be piled high and handed
out.I'm bringing all the godless nations to war against
Jerusalem—Houses plundered, women raped,Half the city taken into
exile, the other half left behind."
3-5But
then God will march out against the godless nations and fight— a great war!
That's the Day he'll take his stand on the Mount of Olives, facing Jerusalem
from the east. The Mount of Olives will be split right down the middle, from
east to west, leaving a wide valley. Half the mountain will shift north, the
other half south. Then you will run for your lives down the valley, your escape
route that will take you all the way to Azal. You'll run for your lives, just as
you ran on the day of the great earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.
Then my God will arrive and all the holy angels with him.
6-7What
a Day that will be! No more cold nights—in fact, no more nights! The Day is
coming—the timing is God's—when it will be continuous day. Every evening will be
a fresh morning.
8What a
Day that will be! Fresh flowing rivers out of Jerusalem, half to the eastern
sea, half to the western sea, flowing year-round, summer and winter!
9God
will be king over all the earth, one God and only one. What a Day that will be!
10-11The land will stretch out spaciously around
Jerusalem—to Geba in the north and Rimmon in the south, with Jerusalem towering
at the center, and the commanding city gates—Gate of Benjamin to First Gate to
Corner Gate to Hananel Tower to the Royal Winery—ringing the city full of
people. Never again will Jerusalem be totally destroyed. From now on it will be
a safe city.
12-14But this is what will happen to all who fought against
Jerusalem: God will visit them with a terrible plague. People's flesh will rot
off their bones while they are walking around; their eyes will rot in their
sockets and their tongues in their mouths; people will be dying on their feet!
Mass hysteria when that happens—total panic! Fellow soldiers fighting and
killing each other—holy terror! And then Judah will jump into the fray!
14-15Treasures from all the nations will be piled
high—gold, silver, the latest fashions. The plague will also hit the
animals—horses, mules, camels, donkeys. Everything alive in the military camps
will be hit by the plague.
16-19All the survivors from the godless nations that fought
against Jerusalem will travel to Jerusalem every year to worship the King,
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and celebrate the Feast of Booths. If any of these
survivors fail to make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the King,
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, there will be no rain. If the Egyptians don't make the
pilgrimage and worship, there will be no rain for them. Every nation that does
not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths will be hit with the plague. Egypt
and any other nation that does not make pilgrimage to celebrate the Feast of
Booths gets punished.
20-21On
that Day, the Big Day, all the horses' harness bells will be inscribed "Holy to
God." The cooking pots in the Temple of God will be as sacred as chalices and
plates on the altar. In fact, all the pots and pans in all the kitchens of
Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to God-of-the-Angel-Armies. People who come to
worship, preparing meals and sacrifices, will use them. On that Big Day there
will be no buying or selling in the Temple of
God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

Revelation 20:1-15 (The
Message)

Revelation 20

A Thousand Years

1-3I saw an
Angel descending out of Heaven. He carried the key to the Abyss and a chain—a
huge chain. He grabbed the Dragon, that old Snake—the very Devil, Satan
himself!—chained him up for a thousand years, dumped him into the Abyss, slammed
it shut and sealed it tight. No more trouble out of him, deceiving the
nations—until the thousand years are up. After that he has to be let loose
briefly.
4-6I
saw thrones. Those put in charge of judgment sat on the thrones. I also saw the
souls of those beheaded because of their witness to Jesus and the Word of God,
who refused to worship either the Beast or his image, refused to take his mark
on forehead or hand—they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years! The
rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years were up. This is the
first resurrection—and those involved most blessed, most holy. No second death
for them! They're priests of God and Christ; they'll reign with him a thousand
years.
7-10When the thousand years are up, Satan will be let loose
from his cell, and will launch again his old work of deceiving the nations,
searching out victims in every nook and cranny of earth, even Gog and Magog!
He'll talk them into going to war and will gather a huge army, millions strong.
They'll stream across the earth, surround and lay siege to the camp of God's
holy people, the Beloved City. They'll no sooner get there than fire will pour
out of Heaven and burn them up. The Devil who deceived them will be hurled into
Lake Fire and Brimstone, joining the Beast and False Prophet, the three in
torment around the clock for ages without end.

Judgment

11-15I saw a
Great White Throne and the One Enthroned. Nothing could stand before or against
the Presence, nothing in Heaven, nothing on earth. And then I saw all the dead,
great and small, standing there—before the Throne! And books were opened. Then
another book was opened: the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what was
written in the books, by the way they had lived. Sea released its dead, Death
and Hell turned in their dead. Each man and woman was judged by the way he or
she had lived. Then Death and Hell were hurled into Lake Fire. This is the
second death—Lake Fire. Anyone whose name was not found inscribed in the Book of
Life was hurled into Lake Fire.

Psalm 148:1-14 (The
Message)

Psalm 148

Hallelujah! Praise
God from heaven, praise
him from the mountaintops; Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his warriors, Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, you morning stars; Praise him, high heaven,
praise him, heavenly rain clouds; Praise, oh let them praise
the name of God— he
spoke the word, and there they were!

6 He set them in place from all time to eternity;
He gave his orders, and that's it!

7-12 Praise God from earth, you sea
dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps; Fire and hail, snow and ice,
hurricanes obeying his orders; Mountains and all hills,
apple orchards and cedar forests; Wild beasts and herds of
cattle, snakes, and birds in flight; Earth's kings and all
races, leaders and important people, Robust men and women in
their prime, and yes, graybeards and little children.

13-14 Let them praise the name of God— it's the only Name worth
praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky; he's
built a monument—his very own people! Praise from all who love God! Israel's children,
intimate friends of God.
Hallelujah!

Proverbs 31:8-9 (The
Message)

8-9 "Speak up for the people who have no voice, for
the rights of all the down-and-outers.Speak out for justice! Stand up
for the poor and destitute!"

Verse of the
Day“[Jesus Is the Way to the Father]Jesus said to
his disciples, 'Don't be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. There
are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was
true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done
this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together.'” -
John 14:1-3